Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-21
OUR SPARE ROOM.


lived az FucLlry.
Finchiey is not particularly interesting, place
In itself II = not town; neither b. the utmost
s-rrt'h OF Imagination could it be called country.
II Is exceedingly difficult To get to the CITY where
50 eNtp ddy-irom there; or to get anywhere
est i'f IAT matter OF that. But think our chief
reason FOR going to live there was that w, had the
thLhte ui taking house that hal been built BY 4
fricn! Of mine for his own occupation. who found
aitcr II was finished that he would have. 10 live
abroad FOR two or three years. Houses that people
o'I.d lor themselves are always so much nicer
tAih those they build for other people, SO We ut
once decided To take 1t, and ever since we have
ben trying to get away from it,
W. both wanted 10 live I'm town I'm Tondcn
proper. wanted my club handy and Margaret
"du''d Tue Oohnet-shOpS. Choosing new house
Is q "elShty and important matter and we braced
our minis beforehand by many conversations on
Tue subject, and It last began seriously to house
hunt.
ne Looked at good many desirable resi-
USh'es III the regions OF South EeusingtOn and
biy sWdtcf dad few that we liked pretty
WI ana u large number that we did not like at
az a g"tti many OF the houses had just been
A. Wy AMI SiIdrtly done up Tor the Seds0n-it
VIZ he month Of February when we began our
s-fth-Niih an evident view OF attracting the
Pubic- But although they were magnificent with
lut, paper. wHttew,Ish, and JacUUe III mantel-
y &C., Ne frequently found that they were deli
C1-nJ IN The less apparent DIET ais Of drainage
est TnN, and bOiiers. with which GnimpOrtauC
TITLES the landlord had evidently considered it
Eot worth y lille ~ busy himself
Ss'ihc houses. on the other hand. we're not 'd0ne
Up Ia any way, but were G4rK. dirty, and cob
wrDOy. and haunted by cadaycrOuS caTe-takers.
IL Was usth'.S to try and investigate any OF this
spies a. Margaret refused To go any further
ttih t1e driwln.-rU floor, and would not enter
tam th' idcl or them Tor single instant. ..Flr|t
impressions are eVCrything,' she would remark
tHphatGdlly when L tried TO convince her that
pa htiiis and paPering were not yet lost arts, and
That th: cdrctaker would not ol necessity, form
part OF our establishment.
our hOtiSt-huntlng Was, therefore, a long bust
hes. and We mad" GuiIe a picnic OF IT, Margaret
uSadFeu, Tor We frequently retired to a cOuicc-
tuners Tor Afternoon tea. instead OF going back
10 tinC hity Tor That meal, which was always Il
great point with Margaret. SIZE would hot have
,h'Ikit t'' ui! complete "lthOu, H. ~ Is the
atrrA'oMo al the emf OF February are long and
light y" frequently walked about looking ut
houses I'LL nearly 60'clJck.
one evening is W were sitting together in my
SihoAih--roJn after dinner taking, a. We usually
Ella '.DOdl "iir prospective new house. Margaret
Sttile-i sun "niy 20 b. struck with an idea.
IAdrley, she said, leaning forward in her
chair and pacing her pretty little !Orehnger on
A'r pointed chin a. she spoke, there Is one thing
,hAt U'r ne" hoIiSe must not have, amt that timing
''No spare ROOM cried nearly dronpinr the
eiil on hy ciEr Ia my surprise. "Why, where shall
VIC AtTp all our boxes, my dear; and your sewing
AiAciihr- " hlCh ' gu never ust: and
II A,,.E pare bedroom, Interrupted Margaret
dear, ii HlIAcs me 1ecI 81 Old
old s.llu aStontShcd and rnyStInet
re- returned Margaret. '-Mr. WhitelOck
calls bis wife my dear, and they are both over
This argument was unanswerable did not at
tempt u rciutc IL.
wei, theu,"I continued, '.My-my love- ('sAh.
INIT bcJter. said my Wife. ''T0uid you mind cN-
piiLlhS 10 lItt JCIr objections To that time-hon-
Ofcd l1Ntituil n, Il guest chamber? Are you afraid
Oi a ghO>t taking up It, quarters with use
NO, answered MIry tret, stllI keeping her fin
ger on hcf ciin AMI regarding me With 4 fixed and
81 idi Isl g,.zr. She had not even blcnched when
alluded 10 The Sc"lnE-iHIs hine. '-But in London
NJ VINO Keeps "a spare room keeps a hotel
lt Vas too tr':e- dropped Jne end OF my cigar
into the CRATE outright, while visions OF Aunt
GcOrSina from bennington, Just running up from
SATURDAY III MOnIay,' with her maid. her asth-
hINlc puE, am her array OF imperials, coursc1
through my brain.
Aunt Georgtna-she Margarct's aunt, not
Inihe-had frequently performed th, athletic feat
since our marriage, ana We had soon found out
that her saturday I'LL Monday" was not by any
Tin. As THAT period OF time recorded In
the alulanac~. IL was some times week but more
often ten days and II had been known 10 extend
Itself Ia a month. do not think We either OF Us
absolutely sllkcd Aunt GeorEina IL fact, if any
one had asked Us lCl'f we particularly objected 10
In her.we should have been somewhat puzzled to- re-
ply; but >', was Ike 4 rich pudding-a lit
LIE OF her went long way.
They say That everything comes to those who
walt sun More does everything come To those
who search long and diligently enough, and In due
time our house was found. IL wa. in every WAY
satisfactory. IL had been freshly done up with
paint, paper, and the newest things in Inantel-
peees and datioo, and proper attention had been
PAID TO such things - drainage, gitS-pipcS and
boilers TWAS In the Bayswater direction; IL was
clos. To an Omnibus route 1T only a shilling
catNfire distance To lay club, and there was very
tOerdbl- bOu1et-shOp not far off. In fact Narg;i-
ret said that 10y putting her head out of the bath
room window. aud cranins her neck ONLY 4 very
little, she could just catch a glimpse OF it,
But In this world of ours, Unfortunately there
Is no rose without thorn; no supreme good with
oui some drawback our house had spare room
To - sure, As Margaret observed when We talked
this over alter quite settling upon the house.
We might have known that We must have a spare
rooiil a. therS were otly our two selves, the
wants and "a very limited assortment OF boxes and
TRUNKS tostow away And you know sou wouldn't
Ike 10 I'VE I'D a gerry small house, Charley she
added. even Il We cOuld have found one In this
part Of London"
ANYWAY" continued my wife, II shall not fur
nl.h The room a5 i Bedroom"
well, that was the original idea, = i replied
AT Lest We were settled in our new house. Twill
not attempt 10 describe our removal and subSe-
Quent establishing of ourselves and our furniture
IL Was not pleasant 10 20 through the experience.
and IL - rot peasant 10 recall IL. think Marga-
TIT md caiint as near having quarrel a. we ever
did In our hveS-at that time. IL all floats
through my mind as I think OF it 4 confused
dream OF bcisjesdS and 5idrb0ariS In the drawing
Fupm- wdrdrOOesln the dinin--rUOm Dresden china
and IuirrOrs in the Kitchen Marbles men arI
strange cats eyerywherc, tinned-bev dinners and
a general ai-pervddlng atmosphere Of straw
Bat az ltst IL vas all over, and Margaret tri-
u,nphiniy Declared that the house looked as If We
had lived IN Il Tor years thought II ra her du-
bicls compliment, bur tid not Tell her 80.
OiFe morning. We We're sitting al breakfast a
letter Ms brought IN and handed To my vie.
1.-The pUstman /, late this morning." she said a.
she Took IT. sid nothing: had caught gliups..
OF the IsfltIag and huge golden monogram
ON tn cilsrs"E+- IL was from Aunt GrorgIna
IItid d0Wnmy katie and fork and looked bIankly
acrJSs the Table ii Margaret, who looked banker
still She had Just spread Il piece toast with
aTm4la!C-44tHo'ISh Sic vas IN the middle of
eating n esq Ia sheer desperation ana Sef-aban1-
OInrr.t.
Il can't read IL, she said presently, tossing the
Letter across L. me. 1t iOOGs Us II had Written
d with her leit hand and her eyes shut
aecipacr'-i it, contents with some difficulty
and then Fe-G IL aloud 10 Margaret IL ran as TO-
Iyss:
NT DEAF MAGGIE 81 wish she wouldn't call you
Lev soVu l.uI-s thIn 81 running t Saturday
I'll u uty s4>t for change vi Tor and BJ-
IL tLJl.ttc N1s t-er pug and - nave peep the
f-sA-u-.S- N.H cSeCiy ypir spare rUon: VI course
y,u a-se spare RON A.ow lhe deli .ltsul plan vi
a. ls'tHl, IA iistls.~- Al news when meet
Il = dre-t4ULate ACSE GEOEGISA.
To-.i-,t Ms Monday; she had mol given Us u long
nyJICt 81 her coming.
40 think % her trying 10 make Us believe that
she n rally only coming from saturday Mon
o.y, said Margaret >cOrnfglly- Il don't quite
hbN shr cp!ii peep at the fashions between Sat
uTtiay afternoon AMI Monday morning, unless she
IncIns she il going 70 study the DOnictS in
. c4ETvh
vel. SAIL Givi,iing nay morning paper into
TIVE, 1Ad giving Margaret she part with The births
4 u. AID marriages. which she AWAY, likes %
81, at ~ ward her wishing 70 GENE as Just
we have Decided NOT 10 have a spare room, but
We can easily write and say We haven one
mo, said Margaret shaking her head Sagely.
''JbaJ would n-yer 90. In the first place. she
would br very inurL oIenicd, and she mustn't BE-